The Carolina Panthers made a move to improve their punting situation today by acquiring Andy Lee in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. In exchange, the Browns receive a 4th round draft pick in 2018 and YA BOI’s BOI, punter Kasey Redfern. The panthers also receive a 2017 7th round draft choice in the deal.
The Good: Andy Lee is one of the game’s best punters, and has been for over a decade.
The Bad: Andy Lee is one of the game’s best punters, and has been for over a decade.
Andy Lee is currently 34 years old. Punters can theoretically hang around forever if they take care of themselves, even continuing to do their thing into their 40s. But, no matter how you slice it, giving up a 4th round pick is a pretty high price for a specialist, even for a well-proven commodity like Lee.
On top of that, in this writer’s opinion, I thought Kasey Redfern did a damn fine job in the week 3 preseason game against the Patriots. The only mishap coming when he outkicked his coverage, allowing a big return that he made the tackle on (and had a missed block in the back penalty).
Well, one thing is for sure, we can finally feel good about our punting situation. We are in good hands with Andy Lee, even if we did have to give up a future draft pick for him. Lee is a three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All Pro selection. He ranks sixth in NFL history with a 46.2 gross punting average. He also ranks ninth all-time with 325 punts inside the 20-yard line. He is excellent in all facets of the punting game, and with his 12th year veteran status, is unlikely to choke when it matters most.